03/11/13: D-FW sports chat with columnist Rick Gosselin

Welcome to the chat room. Its good to be back after a couple of weeks on the road. Let's get started...

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:02:01 PM

We seem to be having technical problems at my end. I can't get at any questions...

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:04:42 PM

We're working on the issue -- hang tight, all.

by SportsDayDFW3/11/2013 4:07:22 PM

Will Nolan Ryan be the Rangers CEO this time next year?

by Jeremy3/11/2013 4:07:55 PM

Yes. At Nolan's age, I don't think he wants to go to the Astros and start a long rebuilding process. He's all about Texas -- and the Rangers offer him the best chance to win in this state now and in the short-term future.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:09:14 PM

Rick, I know you don't do mocks anymore, but are there some players that you think Cowboys fans should have on their radar for the team to select in the first round?

by Micah3/11/2013 4:09:19 PM

Think offensive linemen -- Jonathan Cooper would be a great get. He's a guard from North Carolina. I think Chance Warmack will be gone and the third quard in the queue is Larry Warford of Kentucky. If you move Free inside, a tackle would also come into play with this pick. Eric Fisher and Luke Joekel will both be gone but a Lance Johnson or a D.J. Fluker would be considerations. In the second, I'd be looking at a couple of centers, either Travis Frederick or Barrett Jones if one slides that far.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:13:02 PM

Is free agency this bleak throughout the league or is it more just a Dallas thing because of how terrible Jerry has managed the cap? It seems like there's nothing to be excited about on the eve of FA...

by Harry3/11/2013 4:13:13 PM

Two questions: 1) What do you think about the Cowboys decision to franchise Spencer? 2) Now that he is tagged, would you sign him to a long term deal or play him one year under the tag?

by Manny3/11/2013 4:22:01 PM

You can't find the difference makers in free agency like you could in the 1990s. A Reggie White and a Deion Sanders don't come free any more. Even the Ken Nortons and Troy Vincents are rare. NFL teams have figured it the salarycap system out and find a way to retain their best young players. The names that stand out usually carry some age. But you don't build championship teams in free agency in March. You build them through the draft in April. Good teams can add a spare part or two. If I ran the Cowboys, I'd be looking at guard Andy Levitre of Buffalo, safety Glover Quin of Houston, CB Derek Cox of Jacksonville and even TE Fred Davis of Washington.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:22:45 PM

Do you think there is any chance Romo doesn't re-sign with the cowboys this year? Would they actually consider letting him play out the season without an extension ?

by Manny3/11/2013 4:23:08 PM

I was surprised, but he seems to be too valuable a chip to just walk away. He was the best player on the Cowboys defense a year ago. I'm just not sure where another undersized pass rushing linebacker fits in this scheme. Ware and Spencer both go in the 250-range -- very light for the end position. If the Cowboys don't add some appreciable size on the inside, this defense will be very, very vulnerable to the run. I'd love to add a bulk end and use Ware or Spencer strictly in pass rush situations. The Cowboys can let him play out the tag but that would be quite a salary-cap chunk. It would be in their best interests to negotiate a long-term deal just to free up some immediate cap space in 2013 and 2014.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:26:30 PM

It feels like most of the Spring Training news has been about ownership stuff. What should be the on-field takeaways so far? How are the young guys like Olt and Profar looking? Should Rangers fans be excited about them or are they still maybe a year or two away from being big pieces of the team?

by Miguel H.3/11/2013 4:26:50 PM

Regarding Romo, he'll stay with the Cowboys. Jerry Jones will overpay to keep him. If there was a young quarterback in the queue, the Cowboys could roll the dice with Romo and ask him to deliver in a contract year. But by not drafting any young quarterbacks, the Cowboys have surrendered all leverage in these negotiations. The Cowboys will re-sign Romo at his asking price. Romo knows he has a pretty good deal here in Dallas. He won't leave.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:28:11 PM

Profar will benefit from skipping the WBC. I think both will break camp with the Rangers. Their bats make this a better team.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:29:11 PM

this season a breakout year from demarco? or is this the best we get from the often injured tailback?

by Display Name:shep3/11/2013 4:29:14 PM

Rick, we all know the boys need offensive line help, but why are the boys enamored with what they got in livings, mack, kowalski, leary, and arkin?? what do they see in them that warrants them to constantly ignore this area of need??

by Ray from Southside3/11/2013 4:30:27 PM

It depends if he can stay healthy. The reason he slid to the third round and the Cowboys were able to "steal" him there was his injury concerns. Murray can't stay healthy. The hits are bigger and more consistent at this level and Murray can't stay healthy up here, either. He has now missed nine games in his two NFL seasons. I think Murray can be a dynamic producer if he can play 16 games. Who knows if we'll ever see that, though. I'd be on the lookout for a more durable and more productive backup than Felix Jones. The Cowboys will likely need him again in 2013...

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:33:02 PM

Is Sensabaugh being released a bit of a surprise? He seemed to be a pretty good player -- definitely not the most glaring candidate on this team to get cut in my book.

by D. Archer II3/11/2013 4:33:24 PM

Sorry for this jointed way I'm answering questions. We're still having technical difficulties with the distribution of questions in this chat... Now, regarding the offensive line, Jerry places greater stock on glitz and glamor than the meat-and-potatoes part of his roster. There's is nothing glamorous in drafting a guard or a defensive tackle. Jerry would prefer to take the skill because skill sells tickets -- WR, pass rusher, cover cornerback, running back... As a result, this team has crashed on the rocks of playoff contention. If you can't block, you can't win in this league. If you can block, you can play for championships as the Ravens & 49ers proved in February. You draft offensive lines, not buy them. Hopefully Jerry was paying attention to the Super Bowl and realizes his failings as a GM. Until he gets some blockers in here, he's wasting Romo, Murray, Bryant and Witten...

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:37:14 PM

What's your take on the WR3 situation? Is he already on the Cowboys team?

by Tator3/11/2013 4:38:07 PM

Look what's happening around the league -- safeties are being jettisoned everywhere. It's generally not an impact position. Seven starting safeties have become salary-cap casualties this offseason. Like Sensabaugh, all will be in their 30s this season. And the Cowboys were in more dire salary-cap stress than most teams. Tough decisions have to be made and whacking a safety was one of the easier ones.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:39:45 PM

The Cowwboys have $24 million in dead money this year...but are still restructuring to the hilt. How are they going to be able to extend Dez, Lee, Murray, etc?

by Ed R3/11/2013 4:40:03 PM

Regarding wide receivers, status quo isn't good enough despite the intensity with which Jerry Jones clings to it. If the third wideout on this team is already here, the Cowboys aren't trying to get better. I love Dwayne Harris as a fourth WR but there needs to be another piece wedged in between Austin/Bryant and Harris. If there's another Laurent Robinson out there to be had, the Cowboys shoudl be beating the bushes to find him. Romo needs another trusty set of hands if the Cowboys are to make any strides in the nFC East.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:42:44 PM

In your opinion, what positions should the Cowboys target with their very limited free agency fund and what positions should they target with their draft picks? Thanks.

by Ricky T.3/11/2013 4:43:19 PM

Regarding dead money, I'd like to see some progress toward playoff contention by the Cowboys before I start handing out extensions. Like I just mentioned, status quo hasn't and isn't good enough. This team needs to improve -- not keep locking itself into bad deals to hold onto the status quo. I'll bet there are second thoughts about the extensions given Miles Austin and Doug Free. The premium should be on winning -- not maintaining the not-good-enough status quo.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:45:21 PM

Mavs seem to be playing really well right now, but when you're on the outside looking in and there's a team like the Lakers ahead of you that you have to jump, is there really that much to be excited about right now?

by Timmy3/11/2013 4:45:53 PM

Free agency: I'd go for some depth on the defensive line. In going to the 4-3, the Cowboys need bodies for a rotation. When this franchise was winning Super Bowls, Jimmy Johnson had nine defensive linemen to shuttle onto the field. The Cowboys also need to get bigger at tackle if they intend to play with under-sized ends. The Cowboys won't have the money to secure any of the top-flight free agents at any position -- and that's OK. I don't see any difference makers in this class so no sense overpaying for one.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:48:06 PM

With respect to the guards and Center situation - is Costa actually a decent Center? He looked good in the limited action he saw last year. What about Livings - PFF said he played well last year. Perhaps only Bernadeu and Free need to be replaced?

by Manny3/11/2013 4:49:10 PM

Mavericks -- I'm more excited for next season than this season. I don't see the Mavericks catching the Lakers in the 8 hole of the conference playoff bracket. LA has far more talent than the Mavericks. Cuban knows he has to fix this mess next season and I'm anxious to see what he does. He knows he can't continue spinning the turnstiles at 20,000 a night with a non-playoff team. His post-championship blueprint didn't work. I'm curious to see what his new blueprint looks like. As with the Cowboys, status quo isn't good enough nor is it acceptable...

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:51:28 PM

who do you expect to be released by jerry,today?

by Display Name:shep3/11/2013 4:52:18 PM

Costa is an undersized center. Talented, but undersized. Small players tend to get hurt more, and we've seen that from Costa. The Cowboys should be looking to upgrade any and every position. If spending a draft pick on a center to make this offense bigger and better, I'd be all for it. Again, status quo isn't good enough. I don't see the need to cling to all these players who have failed to produce a playoff team for three consecutive years.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:53:48 PM

Hi Rick: with rookie contracts structured now, is it easier for teams to allocated money to free-agency, having a better idea of what they will need that come draft time?

by Smurf3/11/2013 4:54:16 PM

I would think there's a chance a contract or two (extension or renegotiation) would be announced rather than players shown the door.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:55:04 PM

Regarding the rookie cap allocation, more money becomes available for the veteran players. That was a goal of the NFLPA in its negotations. Most teams are spending that extra money to keep their own players, though, rather than on older players available in free agency. Again, there are no difference makers in this free agent class. The goal is to spend your cap dollars on the younger, talented players on your own roster.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:57:46 PM

When I look at the hot free agent list there are a number of players with either direct or indirect connections to the Cowboys who have been productive NFL players but were spurned by the Cowboys. R. Mendenhall, Amendola, Steven Jackson, Andre Levitre, Phil Loadholt, Sebastian Vollmer, etc. All of these players were available or in the Cowboys camp but turned away. You think there is a GM problem?

by Joe Studebaker3/11/2013 4:58:08 PM

That'll be it for today, folks. I've got to go tape a SportsDay on Air. My apologies for the disjointed way this chat was run but we had technical difficulties and the questions were unavailable to me. We'll get it fixed by next Monday... Thanks for hanging with me.

by Rick Gosselin3/11/2013 4:58:57 PM

Thanks both to Rick and all of you for your patience this morning -- we'll work out the technical bugs on our end and be back better than ever next week.